Grinding Disc And Method For Production Thereof

ABSTRACT

A grinding disc, comprising a particularly metal grinding disc base body and abrasive grains applied to a surface of the grinding disc base body, in particular, made from cubic boron nitride is disclosed. The abrasive grains are arranged on the surface of the grinding disc base body with a defined position and defined separation to each other. A greater number of abrasive grains are arranged in given macro regions ( 18 ) of the surface of the grinding disc base body than in other given macro regions ( 19 ) of the surface.

The present invention relates to a grinding disk according to thedefinition of the species in Patent Claim 1. Furthermore, the presentinvention relates to a method for manufacturing a grinding disk.

During grinding with a rotating tool, a rotating grinding disk is movedrelative to a stationary or also moving workpiece in order to produce anintended contour on the surface of the workpiece by way of machining. Itis already known from the related art to use abrasive grains made ofcubic boron nitride on metallic grinding disks. Abrasive grains made ofcubic boron nitride are also referred to as CBN abrasive grains.According to the related art, the CBN abrasive grains applied to agrinding disk base body are statistically distributed and thusundefined. Such grinding disks having an undefined arrangement of theabrasive grains on the grinding disk base body have an inadequateservice life and must therefore be frequently replaced, which ultimatelyresults in high equipment costs. This is a disadvantage overall.

The object of the present invention is to create a novel grinding diskand a method for manufacturing such a grinding disk.

This object is achieved by a grinding disk as recited in Patent Claim 1.According to the present invention, the abrasive grains are applied tothe surface of the grinding disk base body in a defined position andwith a defined spacing to one another.

In the context of the present invention, a grinding disk is proposed inwhich the abrasive grains are applied to the surface of the grindingdisk base body in a defined distribution, i.e., in a defined positionand with defined spacing to one another. The defined distribution of theabrasive grains on the grinding disk base body allows an improved supplyof coolant onto the surface area of the grinding disk, which is ingrinding contact, as well as an improved removal of the chips which formduring grinding. Another advantage is the fact that by using a grindingdisk designed according to the present invention, the service life ofthe grinding disk may be prolonged, thereby reducing tool costs.

According to an advantageous refinement of the present invention, theabrasive grains are applied to the surface of the grinding disk basebody in such a way that for each area of the grinding disk surface,which is in effective grinding contact, the number of abrasive grains isapproximately constant at a constant width of that area.

According to another advantageous refinement of the present invention, agreater number of the abrasive grains are positioned in predeterminedmacro-areas of the surface of the grinding disk base body than in otherpredetermined macro-areas of the surface, the position and/or thespacing and/or the number of abrasive grains on the surface of thegrinding disk base body being adjusted to the workpiece contour to beproduced by grinding.

The method according to the present invention for manufacturing agrinding disk is defined in Patent Claim 6.

Preferred refinements of the present invention arise from the subclaimsand the following description. Exemplary embodiments of the presentinvention are explained in greater detail based on the drawing, withoutbeing limited thereto.

FIG. 1 shows a cross section of a grinding disk section together with aworkpiece to be machined by grinding;

FIG. 2 shows a schematic top view onto the surface of a grinding diskaccording to the present invention;

FIG. 3 shows a schematic top view onto the surface of another grindingdisk according to the present invention, and

FIG. 4 shows a schematic top view onto the surface of another grindingdisk according to the present invention.

FIG. 1 shows a highly schematic section of a grinding disk 10 togetherwith a workpiece 11 to be machined by grinding. As is apparent in FIG.1, grinding disk 10 is rotatorily driven during grinding in thedirection of arrow 12 and moved relative to workpiece 11 in thedirection of arrow 13. The movement in the direction of arrow 13 isreferred to as a feed movement. Furthermore, as is apparent in FIG. 1, asection or area 16 of surface 17 of grinding disk 10, delimited bypoints 14 and 15, is in effective grinding contact with workpiece 11.Since, on the one hand, grinding disk 10 is rotatorily driven in thedirection of arrow 12 and is, on the other hand, moved relative toworkpiece 11 in the feed movement direction shown by arrow 13, area 16of surface 17 of grinding disk 10, which is in effective grindingcontact with workpiece 11, changes continuously.

Grinding disk 10 has a preferably metallic grinding disk base body andabrasive grains applied to the surface of the grinding disk base body.The abrasive grains are preferably made of cubic boron nitride. In thecontext of the present invention it is proposed to apply the abrasivegrains to the surface of the grinding disk base body in a defineddistribution, i.e., in a defined position and with defined spacing toone another. The abrasive grains are applied to the surface of thegrinding disk base body in such a way that for each area 16 of grindingdisk surface 17, which is in effective grinding contact, the number ofabrasive grains is approximately constant at a constant width of thatarea. A greater number of the abrasive grains are preferably positionedin predetermined macro-areas of the surface of the grinding disk basebody than in other predetermined macro-areas of the surface. It ispossible that macro-areas with abrasive grains and macro-areas withoutabrasive grains join one another alternatingly.

FIG. 2 shows a possible arrangement of the abrasive grains on thesurface of the grinding disk base body, for example. In the exemplaryembodiment of FIG. 2, macro-areas 18 with abrasive grains andmacro-areas 19 without abrasive grains are formed on the surface of thegrinding disk base body. Macro-areas 18 and 19 run diagonally oversurface 17 of the grinding disk base body, one macro-area 19 withoutabrasive grains running between two adjacent macro-areas 18. Inmacro-areas 18, the abrasive grains are positioned on the surface of thegrinding disk base body evenly distributed, i.e., in an even number andevenly spaced. There are no abrasive grains whatsoever in macro-areas19.

FIG. 3 shows an alternative arrangement of the abrasive grains on thesurface of the grinding disk base body. Also in the exemplary embodimentof FIG. 3, macro-areas 20 with abrasive grains and macro-areas 21without abrasive grains are formed. Macro-areas 20 with abrasive grainsrun crosswise diagonally over the surface of the grinding disk base bodyand enclose rectangular or rhombic macro-areas 21 without abrasivegrains. The abrasive grains are again positioned evenly distributed inmacro-areas 20, i.e., in an even number and evenly spaced.

FIG. 4 shows another possible arrangement of abrasive grains on thesurface of the grinding disk base body. In the exemplary embodiment ofFIG. 4, first macro-areas 22 with abrasive grains run ringsegment-shaped on the surface of the grinding disk base body, onemacro-area 23 without abrasive grains being enclosed between twoadjacent macro-areas 22 with abrasive grains, and macro-areas 23 withoutabrasive grains being also ring segment-shaped. In addition to firstmacro-areas 22 with abrasive grains, a second macro-area 24 extends overthe surface of the grinding disk base body, second macro-area 24intersecting macro-areas 22 and 23. A greater number of abrasive grainsare positioned in macro-area 24 opposite macro-areas 22.

The immediate consequence of the possible arrangements of the abrasivegrains on the grinding disk base body, described as examples withreference to FIGS. 2 through 4, is that in terms of the presentinvention macro-areas are defined which differ in the number of abrasivegrains positioned in the macro-areas. In the exemplary embodiments ofFIGS. 2 through 4, there are no abrasive grains whatsoever inmacro-areas 19, 21, and 23, these macro-areas being used for supplying acoolant and for the removal of chips which form during grinding. Incontrast, macro-areas 18, 20, 22, and 24 have abrasive grains. As FIG. 4shows in particular, a greater number of abrasive grains may be providedin macro-areas 24 than in macro-areas 22.

The concrete arrangement of the abrasive grains on the surface of thegrinding disk base body in terms of the present invention takes placepreferably in such a way that the distribution of the abrasive grainscorresponds to the contour to be produced in the workpiece to bemachined using the grinding disk. The position as well as the spacingand the number of abrasive grains on the surface of the grinding diskbase body is then adjusted to the workpiece contour to be produced bygrinding.

Moreover, in terms of the present invention, a method for manufacturinga grinding disk according to the present invention is proposed. Themethod according to the present invention includes at least thefollowing steps: a) providing a grinding disk base body preferably madeof metal; b) providing abrasive grains preferably made of cubic boronnitride; c) applying the abrasive grains to the surface of the grindingdisk base body in a defined position and with defined spacing to oneanother.

In the context of the present invention, the procedure in detail is thatthe metallic grinding disk base body and possibly the abrasive grainspreferably made of cubic boron nitride are nickel-plated prior toapplication of the abrasive grains to the grinding disk base body. Thenickel-plated grinding disk base body is heated in some areas orpartially on the surface preferably using partial laser irradiation andthe abrasive grains are applied to these heated macro-areas of thesurface. In this way, the abrasive grains adhere to the heatedmacro-areas on the surface of the grinding disk base body. This meansthat the abrasive grains made of cubic boron nitride adhere to thesurface of the grinding disk base body in the predetermined macro-areas.Subsequent to the adhesion of the abrasive grains in these predeterminedmacro-areas of the surface of the grinding disk base body, chemical orgalvanic nickel-plating takes place. Therefore, in the context of thepresent invention it is proposed to apply the abrasive grainsexclusively in selected macro-areas or sections on the surface of thegrinding disk base body.

In a modification of the above-described preferred specific embodimentof the manufacturing method according to the present invention for agrinding disk it is also conceivable to apply the abrasive disksconventionally to the entire surface of the grinding disk base body andsubsequently work out the macro-areas without abrasive grains or with asmaller number of abrasive grains via laser machining.

1-12. (canceled)
 13. A method for manufacturing a grinding disk comprising: providing a grinding disk base body having a surface; providing abrasive grains; applying the abrasive grains to the surface of the grinding disk base body in a defined position and with defined spacing to one another, at least one of the grinding disk base body and the abrasive grains being nickel-plated, the abrasive grains adhering to heated macro-areas of the surface of the grinding disk base body due to partial heating of the surface of the grinding disk base body and the application of the abrasive grains to the heated macro-areas of the surface; and subsequent to the adhesion of the abrasive grains to the heated macro-areas of the surface of the grinding disk base body, providing a chemical or galvanic nickel-plating.
 14. The method as recited in claim 13 wherein the grinding disk base body is made of metal.
 15. The method as recited in claim 13 wherein the abrasive grains are made of cubic boron nitride.
 16. The method as recited in claim 13 wherein the surface of the grinding disk base body is heated exclusively in the macro-areas, and that the abrasive grains are applied exclusively to the heated macro-areas of the surface of the grinding disk base body.
 17. The method as recited in claim 13 wherein the heating is carried out via partial laser irradiation of the surface of the grinding disk base body.
 18. The method as recited in claim 13 wherein the abrasive grains are applied to an entirety of the surface of the grinding disk base body and further comprising subsequently removing the abrasive grains from the macro-areas.
 19. The method as recited in claim 18 wherein the removal of the abrasive grains from the predetermined macro-areas is carried out via partial laser irradiation of the surface of the grinding disk base body. 